1. Fields of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to vending machines, and more particularly, to coin-operated vending machines that dispense a predetermined number of individual cigarettes directly from a cigarette manufacturer's container. Each cigarette in the container may be in an individual tube.
2. Discussion of Background and Prior Art
Many cigarette vending machines presently exist on the market. However, the demand for cigarette machines has been decreasing due to social pressures, health factors, and other concerns. Moreover, cigarette pack costs have increased to the point such that people are not as inclined to purchase their cigarettes from a machine, especially since they risk putting several dollars into a possibly broken or defective machine that may not deliver the purchased cigarette pack. Most conventional cigarette pack vending machines are complicated, expensive, and massive devices. They offer customers an exceedingly large selection of cigarette brands, and they include complicated and expensive coin and bill changers for handling large bill purchases. These machines require a large amount of floor space and electrical outlets for their operation.
Vending machines that dispense cigarettes individually, therefore, have been used to overcome some of the disadvantages with cigarette pack vending machines. One advantage of an individual cigarette vending machine is that a customer does not have to risk putting several dollars into the machine to purchase individual cigarettes. Additionally, many part-time smokers who may be trying to quit or reduce their smoking, wish to only have a single cigarette at a time. Therefore, these single cigarette vending machines allow these part-time smokers to acquire only a single cigarette at a time. This advantage frees them from the temptations of a readily available stock of cigarettes and also frees them from having to beg their friends and acquaintances for a single cigarette.
Under federal laws and regulations (i.e. 26 U.S.C. .sctn.5751(a)(3) and 27 C.F.R. .sctn.296.166), cigarettes that are sold either through a retainer or vending machine must be in proper packages that bear the required marks or notices. Generally, cigarettes and other tobacco products may be sold from these packages provided that the products remain in the packages until removed by the customer or in the presence of the customer. The problem with most prior art single cigarette vending machines is that the cigarettes quickly become stale because they are removed from the original proper packages and are loaded into the machines in the absence of the customers. Presently, a single cigarette vending machine, which vends each cigarette directly from the proper and original manufacturer's carton or package in the presence of the customer, does not exist on the market.
Cigarettes are also soft, spongy, and extremely light weight when compared with most items typically dispensed in vending machines, and the lightweight, spongy nature of cigarettes cause them to quickly become stale and to misalign or jam together if dispensed through a conventional vending machine. Furthermore, sanitary conditions require loading cigarettes into a vending machine through the use of minimal human effort. A loading box for loading cigarettes into a single cigarette vending machine was disclosed by Mr. Ronald Laidlaw in his copending patent application entitled "VENDING MACHINE FOR INDIVIDUAL CIGARETTES" Ser. No. 07,967,788 filed on Oct. 28, 1992. The problem with the use of this loading box, however, is that cigarettes must be removed from the original proper packages in the absence of the customers, and this removal process gives rise to the problems discussed earlier. Therefore, a vending machine that dispenses individual cigarettes directly from the original manufacturer's container is desired.
Another problem with prior art individual cigarettes vending machines is that either the cigarettes have to be packaged or tubed prior to loading them into the machine, which gives rise to the package removal problems that were discussed earlier, or the cigarettes have to be dispensed without any tubing, packaging, or wrapping which causes them to quickly become stale. The dispensing of tubed cigarettes is desired since it has sanitary and freshness advantages. A cigarette dispensing apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,190,140 to Paret. This apparatus vends, and dispenses individually packaged or tubed cigarettes, but the disclosure does not mention how the cigarettes are placed into the tubes, nor the dispensing of tubed cigarettes from the original manufacturer's carton or package in which the cigarettes were purchased, nor the vending of individually tubed cigarettes from the original carton or package in the presence of the customer. A cigarette pack or box containing individually wrapped cigarettes has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,698 to Mikhail, but these cigarettes are dispensed manually by tearing them from the other individually wrapped cigarettes in the box. A process for tubing individual cigarettes so that they may be dispensed from the original manufacturer's container in individual, single, rigid, plastic tube packages which are sufficiently airtight to maintain freshness is disclosed in a pending patent application entitled "PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY INSERTING CIGARETTES INTO PLASTIC TUBES" filed, Ser. No. 08/138,459 by inventor, Mr. Ronald Laidlaw on Oct. 15, 1993. Presently, a cigarette vending machine in which the original cigarette cartons with individual cigarettes are loaded into the machine and dispensed directly from these original cartons in the presence of the customer, does not exist on the market.
Further limitations and problems with individual cigarette vending machines relate to the dispensing mechanisms of these machines. One problem is that these prior art machines are limited to dispensing only one cigarette for each set of coins or tokens that are inserted and rotated in the coin mechanism of the machine. Some prior art machines have multiple slots for the dispensing member, but all of these machines are still limited to dispensing one cigarette for each turn of the coin mechanism. Presently, a cigarette vending machine that has the option of being able to vend either a single or a plurality of cigarettes for each turn of the coin or mechanism, does not exist on the market.
Another problem is that some prior art machines have dispensing members that have agitators, but none of these machines provide notches or grooves to accommodate the agitators for the easy rotation of the dispensing member. Presently, a single vending cigarette machine that provides notches or grooves to accommodate the agitators for easy rotation of the dispensing member, does not exist on the market.
Some prior art machines have a further problem in that multiple cigarettes are dispensed without inserting additional coins or tokens because of design problems with the dispenser or vendor. Presently, a single vending machine that is designed so that multiple cigarettes are dispensed without inserting additional coins or tokens is desired.
A problem that generally exists with cigarette vending machines is that they may be more accessible to minors under the age of 18 years old, who may illegally purchase cigarettes from these machines. Therefore, tokens have been designed for and used in these machines to prevent this problem. These tokens must be purchased from the proprietor of the business where the vending machine is located, and the proprietor can, in effect, regulate the sale of the cigarettes from the machine. An additional advantage of designing the machines to use tokens only is that they become independent of the currency that is used, and this advantage makes the machine more marketable in other countries.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the problems and limitations of the prior art that have just been discussed above.